Uzi has always been a chameleon, but hearing him go toe-to-toe with rap’s most flamboyant stylist underscores just how versatile he’s become. Uzi flexes the exhilarating acrobatic flows of Atake’s first half on “Myron.” And on the bubbly-trap rave of “Got the Guap,” Young Thug and Uzi melt their voices into a delightfully gooey mess (we also get to hear Thug rap, “I put a fish on the wrist”). “Lotus” resembles a transmission from a distant planet thanks to an Oogie Mane beat that sounds programmed on a haunted Game Boy. The World 2 that approach this level, even if they are lesser executions of Eternal Atake ideas. Over a Pi’erre Bourne instrumental whose smeared synths recall the producer’s work with Playboi Carti, the rappers stretch out: Uzi makes a Tony! Toni! Toné! joke while Keef uses the Swahili word for “blood.” The chorus is just Uzi breathlessly shouting the names of high-end Swiss watch brands over and over. The two rappers have been teasing the track on social media since 2017, and with good reason: the woozy song zeroes in on the sweet spot between Keef’s hard-charging flows and Uzi’s impressionistic yelps. The World 2’s crown jewel is “Bean (Kobe),” a Chief Keef collaboration that already enjoys legendary status in fan circles.

That said, the high points are as thrilling as you’d expect from an artist who just hit his peak. In many cases, it’s clear why these songs didn’t make the cut. the World, the album hews to the standard “deluxe edition” blueprint: This is a cobbled-together collection of B-sides-good ones, but B-sides nonetheless. Despite its length and billing as the sequel to Uzi’s breakout 2016 mixtape Lil Uzi Vert vs. The World 2, which gives us 14 new tracks and more than 40 additional minutes from the endless Atake sessions. And yet, one week later, he’s already returned with Eternal Atake (Deluxe)-LUV vs. Uzi’s long-awaited third album didn’t just deliver an hour of new music, it felt like the best possible record he could have made, a dizzying showcase for his technique, charisma, and style.

It would have been crazy to expect more of Lil Uzi Vert after Eternal Atake.

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